My mother always told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be in life. All I have to do is work hard and believe in God and no one can stop you from doing what you want to do. Having all of that in mind, I feel that out of all of the things that I can do in life, I would want to be a sports broadcaster.
History.
Seventy-five years ago, people would have to either go to a sporting event or read it in the newspaper to find out about the outcome of a baseball, football, and a basketball game, and a tennis and a boxing match.
1920 was when sporting events were brought through spark transmitters, code, and the converted telephone (microphone). In 1921, the first popular home radio receiver was produced by Westinghouse for about $60.
On August 5 1921, the first professional baseball game that was on the radio was played by the country's first radio station, KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA. Harold Arlin described the game play-by-play from the field to the broadcasting station. For one hour and 57 minutes, the radio audience listened as the Pittsburgh Corsairs defeated the Philadelphia Pirates.
Until the 1920's, there were only written descriptions of the games, but with the beginning of radio, sportscasters made the game come alive. By talking through a microphone, sportscasters back then painted a picture with their words by using props for sound effects. A hollow block of wood tapped with a stick or a pencil was used for the sound of a bat hitting the ball, and the fans use to cheer when signaled so that the home audience feels that they were at the game personally.
There were so many great sportscasters like, Mel Allen, Red, Barber, Jack Brickhouse, Russ Hodges, etc. Who can forget the phrases of "Holy Cow!" "They"re Off!", "Going, Going, Gone!", "Say Hey!", How about that?", "How sweet it is!", "Oh my!", "Bye, bye baby", and the Rus Hodges call "The Giants Win the Pennant!" in the 1951 championship series?.
